Trolley-wheel.



Nq. 758,355. PATENTE) APR.'26,19Q4.

J. s. FLBTGHBR sz-D. H. WATERS.Y l

' TRULLBY WHEEL.

v'AQLEPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 3, 1903.

N0 IODEL.

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l Naz/58,355.

Patented April 26, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEE-ICE.

JAMES s. ELETOIIEnv AND DONALD H. WATERS, OF oIIIoAoO, ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY-WHEEL,

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,355, dated April 26, 1904.

l Application filed September 3, 1903. Serial No.1l71,826 (Noimodel.)

States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented, certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Wheels, of which the'following is a full,"clear, and exact specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l shows our Said new and improved trolley-wheel in front view in central vertical section cut on the'piane l l of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows said device in Side elevation.

Like letters of reference denote like parts throughout.

The object of our invention is to improv the construction and voperation of trolleywheels and to increase their capacity to conduct an electric current.

To attain said desirable ends, we construct our said new device in substantially the followingV manner, namely: On .the end ofthe trolley-pole a we make a trolley harp or fork t, whereof the arms have sockets to receive the coned disks It, havingl tubular extensions it', forming at their intersections ball-bearings f, carrying nests oi' balls e, which are held in place by a tube d, whose ends have the counterpart bearings which form a part of the wheel c, and on said tube is driven the trolle r-wheel. Through said disks and tubular extensions fr and It passes a bolt m, whereof one-half is axially tubular and provided with a side opening c' into mercury a, which iills the annular space between the parts Z and L to the disks and the space between the inner ends of the parts it', wherewith is formed an electric connection between the trolley-wheel and pole free from oiled surfaces or connections having oil film between them. The outer end of the bolt m is threaded for a nut y' and inside for a screw y", which closes the opening for the mercury and also, with its head, formsa lock for said nut. Packing-rings 7c, of suitably soft material, around the outside of the tube d confine the mercury and yield to the adjustment of the disks By means of this construction we have, through the mercury, a larger and more complete metallic Contactv from the wheel to the pole,

greatly-reduced friction, and a more lasting wheel.r We can also confine the mercury to a space intermediate the ball-races e lby rings 0, one oit' which Vis Aindicated broken outlines on the'left-hand end of the bolt m. In

, the latter case more particularly we can make our metallic contact between the pole and its wheel still more perfect when desired by improving the conductivity of the mercury, 'as by mixing it with metals of higher conductivity.

The Spur Z of the harp extends within the outer wheel plane, and thereby prevents the trolley-wire from catching between those parts whenever the wheel springs ofi' the wire.

By increasing the conductivity of the mercury as suggested it thickens and becomes more resistive, and thus counteracts its lubricating quality which` it has when thin. It is for this reason that we adopt the rings 0, between Whi'ch the thick liquid metal may be Shut out from the ball-bearings. Between the ends of the tubular parts L there is an annular Space illed with mercury which connects directly with the opening c' into the chamber of the bolt m, which connects and holds all the parts together.

What we claim is-` l. The combination with a hub-'bored trolley-wheel and end bearings Ito said hub, and a trolley-harp, of bearings interior to said bearings, a chamber between Said bearings and a liquid metal in said chamber, substantially as specied.

2. The combination with a hub-bored trolley-wheel and end bearings in said hub, and a trolley-harp, of bearings interior to said hubbearings, a chamber between and within said bearings and a liquid metal in said chamber, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a hub-bored trolley-Wheel and end bearings in said bore, a trolley-harp and bearings counter to and within Said hub-bearings and a chamber between and within said bearings, of a liquid metai in said chamber, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a hub-bored trolley-wheel with end bearings in said bore, and a trolley-harp, ofv bearings interior to said hub- IOO bearings, a chamber between said bearings and a liquid metal in said chamber, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a hub-bored trolley-Wheel ball-races at the ends of its hub, of counterpart ball-races and balls to said races, of a chamber and a liquid metal in said chamber intermediate said balls, substantially as specified. l

6. The combination with a hub-bored trolley-wheel, a ball-race and balls thereto, of a counterpart ball-race a Chamber within the bore of said hub, a liquid metal therein, and means to confine said metal, a trolley-harp and means to connect said wheel and harp, substantially as specified.

7 The combination with a hub-bored trolley-wheel, a ball-race thereto,.a counterpart ball-race, a chamber between said ball-races and a trolley-harp, of a liquid metal in said Y chamber and means to operatively connect said harp and wheel, substantially as specified.

8. The combination with a hub-bored trolley-wheel, a trolley-harp and a chamber in said hub, of bearings for said .wheel on said harp, a liquid metal invsaid chamber, a chambered bolt with axis coincident with axis of said hub, said bolt-Chamber connected with said metalcharnber, a nut in said bolt and a single element to close said bolt-chamber and look said nut, substantially as speciiied.

9. rlhe combination with a hub-bored trolley-wheel, a tube in said wheel-hub having ball-races at its ends, and balls in said races, of a trolley-harp with bored arms, disks in said bores, tubular extensions on said disks with ball-races in the angles made by said disks and tubular extensions, a chamber between said disks, in said tube, and a liquid metal in said Chamber, substantially as speei- 40 JAMES S. FLETCHER. DONALD H. WATERS- Witnesses:

THOMAS J. NEWBERRY, GUSTAF HAwKINsoN. 

